Spark plug



M. YOUNG.

SPARK PLUG.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 1920.

1,403,886, Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

FIG. 1

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- gn'ucvfioz lion/Z010 any UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MONTE YOUNG, OF PROVO, UTAH.

SPARK PLUG.

Application filed May 24,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MONTE YOUNG, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Provo, in the county of Utah and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spark Plugs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spark plugs such as are used in connection with internal combustion engines.

It is a well known fact that spark plugs rapidly deteriorate in efficiency due to carbon deposits on the terminals or sparking points.

One object of the present invention is to improve the construction of such plugs so as to eliminate such carbon deposits and'thus prolong the eflicient life ofthe plug.

A second important object of the invention is to so improve the construction of such. plugs that, even if carbon does collect on the sparking points as might be caused by a heavy excess of oil in the cylinders, any deposited carbon will be immediately removed.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of certain. novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and

Figure l is a vertical, median section through a spark plug constructed in accordance with this invention, the view showing certain valve elements in closed position;

Figure 2 is a similar view, partly in elevation, showing the valve elements in open position; and the relation of the piston to the P s Flgure 3 1s a detail section of the lower end of the plug with the valve cage removed, and

Figure 4. is a detail plan view of the valve ca e.

In the embodiment of the invention here illustrated and which is to be taken simply as typical of one of the many forms the invention may assume, there is shown a plug body 10 threaded in the usual manner and provided with a central chamber 11 enlarged at its lower end as at 12. The top of the chamber 11 is closed by a nut 13 having a centrally disposed opening through which Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

1920. Serial No. 383,838.

passes a hollow insulating bushing 14. the opening through the bushing being tapered as shown. On top of the nut and around the bushing is fitted an insulation 15 which is held in position by a washer 16 and nut 17, the latter being screwed on the threaded upper end of a sparking lead 18 having its central portion tapered to fit the bushing and its lower end reduced to form the terminal 19. The foregoing parts are quite like those now used but the chamber 11 is considerably larger than common and the enlarged end of the chamber is novel.

In the enlarged end of the chamber is fitted a valve cage 20 having a central opening 21 surrounded by a series of openings 22, grooves 23 leading from the central opening to the several openings 22. This central opening receives the terminal 19 and the sparking takes place between this terminal and the wall of the opening 21.

The openings 22 are enlarged at their upper ends to receive balls 2& which normally lie on the shoulders between the two ends of said openings, these shoulders constituting valve seats and the balls being valves. In order to hold the cage in position the 'lower end of the plug body 10 is crimped in over a beveled edge formed on the cage as at 25.

In the operation of the device let us consider two strokes such as the exhaust and suction or the compression and explosion. In the first of either of these strokes the ball valves lift and the compressed gases have free admission to the chamber 11 not only around the terminal 19 but through the openings 22 and it will be noted that these openings are partly covered by the shoulder between the upper and lower ends of the chamber in the plug so that said balls cannot become displaced. Thus the chamber 11 is fitted with a considerable quantity of compressed .gas. Upon the explosion or suction stroke the valves close and the entire amount of compressed gas is thus forced violently down through the space between the terminal and the wall of the opening 21 thereby scouring off any carbon deposit and keeping the sparking points bright and clean. Moreover, on the explosion stroke. the red hot carbon, if any does deposit, is burnt off by the excess of combustible gas passing the sparking points.

Thus the carbon is prevented from even accumulating suflicientlv to interfere with the working of the lug and its efiicient life is reatly prolonged? aving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a spark plug body provided with a chamber having a closure at its lower end provided with a central opening and gas passages surrounding the central opening, a sparking terminal insulated from the body and extending into the opening in spaced relation to the walls thereof to form a spark gap and inwardly opening valves in said passages,

2. In a spark plug, a body provided with a chamber having an enlarged lower end, a valve cage secured in said lower end and provided with a centrally disposed opening and. surrounding as passages having their upper ends larger t an these lower ends to form shoulders constituting valve seats, said cage In testimony whereof I afiix m si nature.

MONTE O NG. 

